As a boy, Marco Belinelli said he used to wake up at 2 a.m. to watch NBA Finals games live in his native Italy. He first began following the league as a 10-year-old, when the Bulls' second three-peat began in 1996.

"I didn't care if I was tired; I was so happy to watch the game," Belinelli said. "Everybody wanted to be like MJ."

When Belinelli signed as a free agent over the summer, he tweeted multiple pictures of himself in Bulls facilities.